If you want the true Hawaiian Experience, do not stay here. Yes, the rooms are clean, but they are also small. It is not as close to the beach as the state, I believe it is because the path to the beach is blocked by a new hotel being built. The atmosphere is one of a city hotel, no paradise feel. No lounge or restaurant, unless you count the lousy Chinese Buffet connected to the hotel. The bed was uncomfortable, the pool was small and uninviting and the staff was mediocre at best. I have no complaints about the service, however, it is definately no frills all around. This was my first trip to Hawaii and I would recommend trying to stay on Kalakaua Blvd, this is the main drag near the beach. Ala Moana connects to it and the hotel is practically on the corner, however this is not the end to be on. I consider this a trial trip and next time will definately spend the extra money to stay on or closer to the beach. I have stayed at many Holiday Inns and this one is substandard. My husband travels quite a bit and is priority club for this chain, he commented that he has had better stays at Holiday Inn Express. If you do stay here, just plan on sleeping(if you like a rock hard mattress) and showering in the room only! With my husband at the desk checking email, I had to climb over the bed to get to the other side of the room!! All of this and no balcony either. We stayed with gift certificates from my husbands points, and I would still pay $ to stay somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and pay to stay somewhere else, especially if your not sure you can go back, you'll be happy you did!!

Stayed at the Holiday Inn Waikiki in mid-january and also at the start of March (2 nights and 1 night respectively).

Would have to say it is a pretty basic, no-frills hotel with out-dated furniture and furnishings. Was pretty cheap compared to many hotels in the similar area (roughly US$140 a night for four). The first time the four of us stayed at the hotel, we didnt have much luggage so the space was not really an issue. However, coming back through honolulu after collecting a couple weeks of things, we found the hotel incredible cramped (having multiple bags each would do that to any hotel room i guess....).

Hotel staff are very friendly and helpful. We didnt need to use the tour desk, so can't comment about that. The bell man in particular was very helpful and knowledgable.

Check in was painless, however i would have been great if they were able to check us in when we had arrived after a fairly long flight from Sydney at about 11am in the morning, but understandably, check-in is supposed to be at 2pm. They held our bags for us and we checked out the local area.

Room had two twin beds, so was a little bit of a squeeze for four, but not too bad. Air Con was a little hit and miss sometimes (second time round was a bit warmer than the first), but the free internet was a good bonus - making calls home with skype.

The hotel is located on Ala Moana, opposite the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Its a 10-15min walk to Ala Moana Centre (shopper's paradise) and about a 20min stroll to Waikiki and the main retail area there. We did a fair bit of walking, but The Bus is pretty frequent and reliable at $2 as far as Pear Harbour (leaves from right in front of hotel). Transfers are really handy as they last for about 2-3hours so you are usually able to use it for round trips etc.

McDonalds, thai and a sushi (all you can eat) restaurant near by, but we ended up eating in the more touristy area.

Def recommend going on the Outrigger Sunset cruise, goes for about 2 hours or so, with unlimited cocktails. A brilliant way to relax, see Honolulu and the sunset while also chatting away to people from all over the world.

Overall, a good basic hotel as a base to explore Honolulu. If you want flash and modern, this is definately not the place. But if you just want clean, cheap and friendly accomodation, this is definately a good place to stay at.

*Just a side note, saw some flight attendants both times we stayed here, so usually a pretty good sign that it is a decent hotel.

This hotel is located on Ala Moana Blvd. so be aware that there can be street noise on that side of the hotel. Also, they are building a new hotel across the street, so the construction starts early and lasts all day. You are subjected to this noise while you are at the pool, which is a decent size, but not heated. There is a nice beach across the street at the Hilton Hawaiian Village which also has free fireworks on Friday nights. I think most of the other reviews are pretty spot on about this hotel. The rooms are a bit dated, but do have refrigerators which is nice. The staff is very friendly and helpful. My AC was not loud and blocked out some of the street noise. There are two computers for guests in the lobby, but are busy most of the time. There is also an Asian restaurant at the hotel serving all day. It is buffet only. The gym was not the greatest, but ok for a few days. There is also a tour desk on site. The hotel is close to the Ala Moana Mall and about a 10-15 minute walk to Waikiki Beach. If you want to stay in a luxury hotel, this is not the place for you. The Holiday Inn is for people who want to stay in a clean room and save a few bucks at the same time.

I think Honolulu must have the largest collection of shabby and overpriced 2 and 3 star hotels in the world. Normally I stay at the New Otani which is a $140-$160 per night property, great location, breakfast on the beach, some nice views and friendly staff. Rooms are so so.
I thought I would try something different for a change and wanted to be closer to Ala Moana shopping and movies. The Holiday Inn was offering a $125/night room with free high speed internet access and is only a 10 minute walk from Ala Moana and Victoria Plaza shopping.
The staff were very helpful, room was generous in size, internet access worked as advertised.
If you book a stay DEFINITELY ask for a room NOT facing Ala Moana Blvd unless you find traffic noise soothing.
Overall a good stay, average by most standards but a tremendous value for Waikiki.